Congress may have its best chance in months to pass hard-hitting Russia sanctions when lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving recess, as top Republicans are publicly and privately panning the Trump administration’s renewed effort to end the war in Ukraine.
A weekend of chaos and confusion over what exactly the United States is pushing for, paired with GOP criticism that the administration’s proposal is too favorable to Moscow, is testing Republican leaders’ patience after a head-spinning several months of teasing legislative action.
While the U.S. and Ukraine touted progress on Sunday after talks in Geneva, there were key differences in the two sides’ readouts. And the initial U.S. proposal caused further strain in the relationship between the two countries.
But despite Republicans’ deep skepticism of President Donald Trump’s drive toward a deal, many of the same hurdles that have blunted previous momentum for congressional action could stand in the way once again.
The bullish case. The weekend began with top Republicans, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), saying the White House’s peace plan rewards Russia’s aggression and short-changes Ukraine.
It also prompted Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) to announce that he’ll trigger a discharge petition to pass the House’s version of a bipartisan and long-stalled sanctions bill from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). This bill would easily pass in the House.
Shortly thereafter, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) came out in support of the sanctions effort, vowing to advance a bill that gives Trump “maximum leverage” over Russia.
Then, at the Halifax International Security Forum, three senators from both parties said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them by phone on Saturday that the proposed peace deal actually came from the Russians.
Rubio and a State Department spokesperson later said that the plan was authored by the U.S. — though two of the senators issued statements after the fact that did not back away from their initial characterization of Rubio’s comments.
The embarrassing episode did no favors for the White House with an already-skeptical group of lawmakers, some of whom now want to see congressional review for critical elements of a potential deal.
Not so fast. Passing a sanctions bill — or any other effort to counter Russia, for that matter — has been GOP leaders’ most elusive goal this year.
That’s because Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have deferred to the White House, saying they don’t want to undermine Trump.
House passage of the Graham-Blumenthal bill would put pressure on Thune, who would have to decide whether to take it up. If he does, it could take several days of floor time with likely objections.
Trump has plenty of allies on this issue who won’t take kindly to a sanctions effort they see as undercutting the president.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said Trump’s critics “live in this fantasy world that another round of sanctions, or another round of weapons, or another round of cash is going to solve the problem.”
